Ranking Every NXT TakeOver Special - From Worst To Best

7. TakeOver: Respect

bayley sasha banks
WWE

The Highlights: After the major milestone that was TakeOver: Brooklyn, the subsequent special was designed to be a bit of a "cool-down" show before they went overseas for TakeOver: London. However, it turned out to be much more than that and virtually every match held its own, resulting in an exceptional event on the whole.

The main focus of TakeOver: Respect was the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic, meant to honor the late, great Dusty Rhodes. All three tag team matches were solid, but Respect will forever be remembered as the night Bayley and Sasha Banks took center stage and made history with their 30-minute Iron Man main event match.

The Low Points: It's hard to nitpick anything individually from Respect, but it did lack a few memorable moments outside of the women's main event. The NXT Women's Championship was the only title defended with then-NXT champion Finn Bálor already pulling double duty and then-NXT Tag Team champions The Vaudevillians not making the card.

It would have been helpful if the tournament launched a new tag team and had not been won by two established stars in Bálor and Samoa Joe, but the post-match celebration was worth it.

Contributor
Contributor

Since 2008, Graham has been a diehard pro wrestling fan and, in 2010, he combined his passions for WWE and writing when he joined Bleacher Report. Equipped with a master's in journalism, Graham has contributed to WhatCulture, FanSided's Daily DDT, Sports Betting Dime, and GateHouse Media. Along the way, he has conducted interviews with wrestling superstars like Chris Jericho, Edge, Goldberg, Christian, Diamond Dallas Page, Jim Ross, Adam Cole, Tessa Blanchard, Ryback, and Nick Aldis among others.